Words I Couldn't Say
by HermioneRose
Summary: Companion to If You Were My Girl. Haylie reflects on her crush on Ryan, and realizes he may be the guy he's been searching for.


**Author's Note: Here's the companion to If You Were My Girl! Enjoy!**

**Chapter One: The Perfect Guy**

_Ms. Haylie Evans_.

_Mrs. Haylie Anderson Evans_.

Wait...what was she doing?

Haylie Anderson quickly erased the names before Ryan Evans saw them, but then again, they didn't have his first name in her daydreaming, thank god.

Haylie had a crush on Ryan since the day she asked him and his twin sister, Sharpay Evans for directions to Ms. Darbus' classroom when she and MacKenize came to East High.

She dated tons of guys before, but Ryan...

Ryan was different.

She didn't know how to explain it, but he was.

He wasn't a jerk, and he wasn't mean.

You could say he was considered nice, and Haylie found that refreshing in a guy, unlike the guys at her school.

"What are you writing?"

Haylie's hand froze in mid-word, and she glanced up to see Ryan smiling down at her.

"Um...n--nothing. Just homework." Haylie said, and to her horror, Ryan sat down, and smirked.

"Doesn't look like homework to me."

Haylie felt herself blush, and Ryan gently lifted the notebook from her grasp, and Haylie's eyes widen.

"Hey, give that back!"

"Relax, Anderson. I'm just looking." Ryan stated, and Haylie sat back in her chair.

She saw a smile form on Ryan's lips, and she thought he found out that she liked him.

"Don't tell me you like Chris Evans."

What?

Haylie looked at him, and frowned.

"...Huh?"

Ryan pointed to the faded, erased _Mrs. Haylie Anderson Evans_, and smirked.

Does he always need to smirk like that?

"You should know better, Ms. Anderson. Celebrity crushes are so old school. Why don't you find yourself a real crush?"

Well, he was sitting right in front of her, wasn't he?

"I do have one, for your information." Haylie said.

"Oh? And who is that?" Ryan asked, with an eyebrow raised this time.

Haylie quickly glanced around the history classroom, scouting out crush material.

Troy Bolton would be a good choice, but Gabriella would kill her, even if was to get Ryan off her back.

Jason Cross would be good too, but she heard Kelsi Nielsen liked him.

Zeke Baylor would be perfect also, and he would be a good boyfriend.

Chad Danforth would also be perfect, considering Taylor McKessie hated his guts anyways.

"Um...Chad Danforth." Haylie informed him, and she saw Ryan's smirk falter a little.

"Chad Danforth?" Ryan asked.

What did he want her to say?

That it was _him _that she was crushing on?

No way!

"Yes. That's right." Haylie replied, relieved that he didn't question her more on the matter.

"Oh...well, I thought it'd be completely different. Here's your notebook back." Ryan stated, and Haylie watched as he went to his assigned seat, which was in front of Sharpay.

She didn't want to lie to Ryan, after all, because he was such a nice guy.

And not a jock, neither, even though the jocks here were friendly.

She gazed at his profile once again: blonde hair (under a black fedora hat), blue eyes, and was an equal size to her height, if not taller. Girls told her how handsome Ryan was, and she could easily see what they ment by that.

Sure, he was no Troy Bolton, but Ryan was good-looking.

But, Haylie wasn't the type of girl to dwell on how a guy looks anyways.

If he had a good heart, and a sense of humor, she was all his.

And was a drama geek, of course.

Always the drama geeks.

Haylie probably considered Ryan a friend, someone she can tell stuff to, but nowadays, she felt like they could be more.

Like that'll ever happen!

Just like Troy, she seen girls hang around him, and talk to him flirtiously, and the sight of them just make her want to cringe.

Why couldn't she be like that?

Flirty, and not herself?

Because Ryan made her be herself, believe it or not.

And Haylie didn't want to be one of those groupies that only want Ryan because he was their ticket to bigger and better things if Sharpay saw them.

Alot of girls told her that it was no use getting Ryan's attention because he always hung around with Sharpay, and Sharpay would always fix him up with some rich, snobby girl (possibly one of the Sharpettes), and she shouldn't her hopes up.

Why shouldn't Ryan Evans be her goal?

Well, as a boyfriend?

It wasn't like he was going to reject her if she asked, because chances are he might say yes, and Haylie wouldn't accept an no.

Unless he had a really good excuse, of course.

What was she saying? Guys like Ryan didn't deserve her.

If she was correct, she should stick to the Xavier tradition, and date a jock, living happily ever after.

But, she wouldn't be happy because she wouldn't be with Ryan, now would she?

"Who are you looking at?"

Haylie shook her head, and glanced up at Gabriella Montez, who was holding a worksheet.

"No one, Gabby!" Haylie explained, and Gabriella smiled.

"Yes, you were! Were you looking at Ryan?" Gabriella asked.

"No, I wasn't!" Haylie replied quickly, and Gabriella's smile grew.

"You were, and I know. It's okay to like Ryan, Haylie." Gabriella told her, and Haylie shook her head.

"I can't. If anyone found out, especially him, I won't live it down!"

Gabriella sat the worksheet aside, and looked at her.

"Ryan isn't going to laugh at you if he knew you liked him, Haylie. Chances are, he might feel the same way."

As if!

She wasn't going to tell Ryan she liked him!

"Gabriella, I can't do that!" she cried, and Gabriella chuckled.

"Of course you can! Before he leaves, tell him."

Was Gabriella out of her mind?

Spending time with Troy might have affected her brain little too much.

"Gabriella, are you insane? What if Sharpay hears me?" Haylie asked.

"She won't. Trust me." Gabriella stated as she took the worksheet, and they began to work on it, but Haylie's mind wandered off towards Ryan.

Ryan wouldn't laugh at her, would he?

He didn't seem like the type of guy who would, though.

Maybe Gabriella was right: maybe she should tell him.

The bell rang, and Haylie saw Ryan getting up, and as he was heading out the door, Haylie stopped him.

"Oh, hey! What's up?" Ryan asked, giving her his winning smile, and Haylie swore her knees turned to jelly.

Did he have to be so confident?

So cool?

So...calm and collected?

Wasn't that a song?

Haylie shook her head, and she gave him a smile in return.

"Listen, Ryan, I need--"

But, Sharpay ruined the moment by coming over to them.

"Come on, Ryan. Were going to be late." she exclaimed as she took hold of his arm, and Ryan glanced back at her.

"We'll talk later, okay?" he asked her, and Haylie smiled.

Perfect!

That way, no one would be around to--

"No way are you talk to her, Ryan!" Sharpay said, and Haylie's face crumbled.

Haylie turned away so Ryan didn't see her face, and she wanted to cry right then and there.

Is this why they are called crushes?

Because they hurt so bad?

Gabriella and Troy came out just then, and concern swept over her face the minute she saw Haylie's face.

"Haylie, what's wrong?" she asked, as she went over to hug the blonde-haired girl, and Troy frowned.

"I--I tried talking to Ryan, but S--Sharpay took him away from me..." Haylie explained, on the verage of tears, and Gabriella nodded.

"We heard her. I'm so sorry, Haylie."

Haylie sniffled, and sighed.

Maybe Haylie should give on Ryan, and move on.

After all, it's only a crush.


End file.
